Autodesk have published some Splinter Cell: Blacklist development videos in their Digital Entertainment & Visualisation Community website, Area. They explain how using tools like 3DS Max, MotionBuilder and Scaleform, Ubisoft Toronto has taken the latest generation of Splinter Cell to the next level.​

In the first video the designers discuss the importance of building game UI seamlessly into the game world in the most natural way possible to improve gameplay experience. In the second they discuss the process and tools they used to create the most realistic Sam Fisher to date. Combined with full motion and facial capture, Ubisoft used a pipeline including 3ds Max and MotionBuilder to ensure that the game’s characters move fluidly no matter how acrobatic the player wants to be.​

Read on to see screenshots of the game in development and see the video series on Ubisoft’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist.

GamesHQMedia has posted a six-minute gameplay video of Watch Dogs, the Ubisoft action game that utilises a smart, in-game user interface to manipulate the near-future Chicago environment. It’s fascinating to see the GUI so deeply integrated into the 3D environment.

In Watch Dogs, players will assume the role of Aiden Pearce, a new type of vigilante who, with the help of his smartphone, will use his ability to hack into Chicago’s central operating system (ctOS) and control almost every element of the city. Aiden will be able to tap into the city’s omnipresent security cameras, download personal information to locate a target, control systems such as traffic lights or public transportation to stop a chase, and more. The city of Chicago is now the ultimate weapon.

Graphical user interface, or GUI, software is a tricky subject in the gamedev world. Many studios have developed their own proprietary solutions, some of which, as I can personally testify, are far from ideal. Scaleform, created by Autodesk, is a middleware solution to the age-old problem. It utilises an off-the-shelf package, in Adobe Flash, that UI artists are familiar with and provides a means for programmers to plug it into their own game code.

Autodesk® Scaleform® enables developers to leverage the power of the Adobe® Flash® tool set to create powerful and immersive user interface environments for video games and beyond. Used in over 1000 titles across all major platforms ranging from AAA titles to casual games, Scaleform provides a streamlined solution to create hardware-accelerated 3D game menus, HUDs, animated textures, in-game videos and mini-games.

Read on to see the Autodesk Gameware GDC 2013 Show Reel and a selection of short videos capturing Scaleform GUI’s in action.

Check out this ‘making of’ video from German VFX studio Polynoid. It’s a series of openers to the HALO based web series, Forward Unto Dawn, featuring cinematic visuals, motion graphics and user interfaces.

For this project we collaborated with 343 Industries to create five openers for the “Forward Unto Dawn” web series promoting the release of “Halo 4″. All titles combined result in a seamless narrative, closing the gap between the end of HALO 3 and the beginning of HALO 4. This is a montage of the five pieces with Music & Sound design by Michael Fakesch.

Evolution Studios have announced DriveClub is their next racing title due for release on the PS4. It’s the game they’ve always wanted to make and been in development for 10 years. That much is certainly true as I worked on some UI concept videos for DriveClub when I worked at Evo over eight years ago. There are some pretty bold claims in the demo video to the level of modelling detail and photorealistic shaders – even depicting brushed suede direction on the seats! However the cars and environments do look incredible and so to does the UI. I love the crisp graphics and subtle animations. The logo looks great as well.

PLATIGE Image, the Warsaw based Visual Effects house, have uploaded a great deal of development material from Cyberpunk 2077 on their Behance page. The videogame developed with CD Projekt RED is based on the work by Mike Pondsmith in the 80’s and 90’s. The original inspiration for the story was his desire to recreate the technology and dark, film noir style of Blade Runner. That influence in the game artwork is unmistakable. Take a look through the concept art, character at, environment art, 3D work and some nice user interface graphics as well.

Eric Bellefeuille has recently updated his portfolio on Behance with latest user interface work on Mass Effect 3 – Omega DLC. I urge you to go and have a look. Not only are there the cool UI screens below, although sadly quite low res, but there are also some videos of the holographic user interface in action. While you’re there, take the opportunity to look at his other works, including the breathtaking Deus Ex Human Revolution and Star Wars – The Old Republic.